The Internet provides a vast amount of resources that may be searched to find information pertaining to specific issues or questions. However, even though a vast amount of information is available on the Internet, the specific information desired may not exist or may be difficult to locate. As the Internet develops, several applications have evolved that allow Internet users to find information that is difficult to locate or is not available on the Internet. For example, when a user cannot find the information on the Internet by performing a simple search, users may prepare and post specific questions or comments for which other Internet users may respond utilizing inquiry applications such as Windows Live™ QnA. The responses may provide the posting user, among others, with the desired information.
Unfortunately, responding users may not sufficiently respond to specific questions or comments, thereby leaving a posting user without the desired information. In one instance, users do not respond to a specific question or comment posted by another user. In another instance, responding users may share limited similar characteristics, interests, or perspectives with the posting user and, accordingly, post a non-useful response. Therefore, while existing inquiry applications allow users to prepare and post specific questions, the inquiring user may still not receive the information he desires.
Network contacts, such as friends, family, and co-workers, are more likely to provide an adequate response to a specific question or comment than non-network contacts. For example, a person who is a network contact of a posting user is more likely to provide a response and share similar characteristics, interests, or perspectives with the posting user. However, existing web applications do not provide the ability for a posting user to share a publicly posted question or comment with the posting user's network contacts.
Accordingly, for a network contact to respond to a friend's question or comment in existing web applications, it might be difficult to locate the specific question or comment. A posting user may manually e-mail a link for each question to network contacts; however, independently communicating with network contacts is not efficient, and the e-mail may be disregarded by network contacts as SPAM-type e-mail.